The Dating Game
by MiladyGirl
Summary: A light-hearted series where Blake is beginning to date ladies, with JJ cheering her on and wanting to hear everything about it later. But anyone who's ever been on the dating scene knows how awkward dates can be. Eventual Blake/JJ.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

Lktwh13 talked me into writing a sequel to my rather angsty oneshot "Coming Out of Hiding", in which Alex Blake accidentally admits to JJ that she's gay. JJ convinces her to start dating. And this will be the light-hearted drabble-chapter story following Alex's endeavours to find a woman to share her life with.

Not meant to be taken too seriously. :P

Updates will happen infrequently, depending on my mood and that of my muse.

* * *

"So, how was your big date this weekend?" JJ asked when the two female agents had some time to themselves that Monday. Alex rolled her eyes.

"Disaster," she clipped and hid her face in her hands so she wouldn't have to look at her colleague and friend. JJ grinned.

"Oh come on, you're not going to fill me in? That's mean. I'm the one who's been supporting you, pushing you to start dating in the first place…"

"You're right." Alex peeked at her through her fingers for a moment before lowering her hands. A sardonic smile played on her lips. "Which means it's basically _your_ fault that my Saturday sucked."

"I can't take responsibility if I don't know what I'm taking responsibility for," JJ replied, pretending to sound stern, and folded her arms across her chest. Her eyes glittered with humour and curiosity. "Come on Alex, tell."

Alex gave an exaggerated sigh, but JJ could tell she was seeing a humorous side of it no matter how much she wanted to give a different impression.

"JJ, am I terribly unattractive?" she asked, but not in a tone that indicated that she felt like she was. JJ blinked in surprise at the question.

"Of course not."

"I mean, I'm perfectly well aware of the fact that I don't look like Megan Fox, but I don't exactly think I'm _repulsive_ ," Alex continued. JJ laughed a little and shook her head.

"Far from it."

"Well, this lady seemed to have decided that she needed to drink me attractive. And considering the amounts of alcohol necessary, she must have thought I looked like Godzilla," Alex muttered. "By the time the main course arrived she was smashed and started flirting with the waitress, who was about eighteen and as straight as they come. The poor girl was embarrassed, _I_ was embarrassed, and eventually I had to take out my badge and escort my date away from the restaurant before she made herself guilty of sexual harassment. I also had to drive her home to make sure she didn't drive under the influence. And then I went home - alone - and watched Saturday Night Live."

JJ burst out laughing heartily. Alex looked up and rolled her eyes again.

"I'm glad it gave you a good laugh, then my night wasn't completely wasted." She shook her head. "Although my date was."

JJ patted her shoulder.

"Better luck next time. That's like the worst of luck there is, it can't happen twice in a row."

Alex groaned.

"I have to go through it _again_?!"

"You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your princess," JJ said.

"Considering what's out there, I'd probably settle for the frog," Alex sighed and swallowed the last gulp of her coffee. "Alright, fine. I will give it another shot."

"Atta girl," JJ said with glee. "And if you don't find someone, I have this friend whose cat is having kittens in about a week, in case you need a crazy cat lady starters kit."

"Don't push it, Jennifer. I'm not that desperate. Yet."

JJ laughed again and Alex managed a smile. Well, the dating game was on, and she was _not_ a quitter.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

Thank you for your interest in this odd little series. The update frequency cannot be guaranteed, but for the time being I have some time on my hands, not to mention that I have fun doodling with this, so here comes part 2.

Reviews are welcome. :D

* * *

It was a few weeks later, and the team had been called in on a case. JJ and Blake found themselves alone in the elevator that morning.

"So how are those kittens doing?" Alex asked. JJ looked puzzled for a moment, then realised what her friend was referring to.

"They're doing fine. Two tabbies and three tuxedos. Healthy and active. I take it your trip down the Crazy Cat Lady lane remains uninterrupted, then?"

"Don't ask. Last Saturday I was stood up." Alex tried to sound casual, but there was a touch of deep hurt in her voice that made JJ wince with sympathy. "We had agreed that I would pick her up at seven. I was there ten minutes early. I waited for an hour. She wasn't at home."

Biting her lip she added; "The next morning I got a text saying she had gone out with some friends instead, because she had second thoughts about dating an older woman. I should add that she was forty, so she wasn't exactly a spring chicken herself."

JJ's entire face expressed disgust.

"Wow. I'm sorry Alex."

Alex waved it off.

"Well, at least I made it back home in time to watch The Conjuring; I only missed the first five minutes."

" _You_ watch _horror_ movies?"

A silent _oops_ was visible in Alex's eyes. "Not usually."

JJ grinned, but decided to drop the subject for the time being. She was more curious about Alex's next personal life horror story, and it only took an encouraging glance to urge Alex on.

"Okay, now that woman was a waste of energy from the beginning, so I didn't even try to convince her to give me a chance. So it was back to the dating site. And this weekend I managed to get a date who did show up." She made a theatrical pause. "The Breath-taker."

"She was that pretty?" JJ wondered. Alex scoffed.

"She wore that much perfume. I swear, it was like the woman had her own atmosphere. It kind of makes you wonder what they're trying to hide, doesn't it?" she mused and shrugged. "She was nice though, but I don't think I want to plan for a future, or even a future _date_ , with someone whose vicinity makes me feel nauseous. It's not like I don't like a touch of a nice perfume, but too much is too much."

"Breath-taker," JJ remarked, "it sounds like an unsub."

"I know. Catchy isn't it?", Blake shot back and let out a unusually girly giggle. It was contagious, and before she knew it, JJ was giggling along with her.

When the elevator doors opened on their floor, the giggle had morphed into a full, hearty laughter and the two women clung to each other to keep from falling over. It wasn't that it was particularly funny, Alex thought, it was more a matter of laughter fuelling itself until it became self-sustainable. And it felt good. It had been _years_ since she had laughed that much.

David Rossi who just happened to shuffle by with a case file in his hand, stopped mid-step and stared at them.

 _Nothing in the world can be so amusing it gives people a reason to laugh at 5 am. They_ _'_ _re either on drugs or in love._


	3. Chapter 3

"You look like a thundercloud. I'm not even going to ask you about your last date, I can tell from afar that it wasn't a good one."

"You got one thing right. It was certainly my _last_ date!" Alex snapped. "I've come to realise that there is usually a _reason_ why someone is single!"

" _You_ _'_ _re_ single," JJ chimed in when Alex took a deep breath to go on complaining. She almost seemed to deflate when JJ pointed out the obvious. During the prolonged silence JJ took the opportunity to elaborate. "And there is certainly nothing wrong with _you_ , you've had a bit of bad luck is all. You haven't found someone you're compatible with."

Alex muttered something in a voice that was practically dripping with sarcasm. JJ couldn't make out the words, but she was pretty sure she didn't want to hear them either. They were both quiet for some time, focusing on the paperwork in front of them.

It had been almost six months since JJ had first encouraged Alex to start dating, and so far it seemed Alex had taken it to heart almost as if it was a new hobby. She consistently found something wrong with each date though, and never saw the same woman twice. The way she told the stories about those dates, JJ supposed that she could understand why. But she grew increasingly frustrated, not with Alex, but with these anonymous women who went out with this gorgeous, smart, witty lady and didn't seem to realise what a catch she was.

 _Who wouldn_ _'_ _t want to show their best side when going out with Alex?_ , JJ wondered to herself. _I know_ I _would._

"Friday night date was a germ phobic. I mean, nowadays it's not that weird if people bring hand sanitizers wherever they go, so if she had drawn the line there I wouldn't have been creeped out. However, she also brought her own cutlery, sealed in plastic bags, and she refused to get something to drink because the drinking glasses were apparently teeming with germs."

JJ looked up to see if Alex was pulling her leg, but the brunette looked dead serious.

"At that point I made the mistake of suggesting that she could always order pure vodka, that'd kill off all the germs in the glass, and drink it through a straw. I was just kidding, but she looked me straight in the eye and said that the idea wasn't so bad, only there is no guarantee the straws were germfree, as the packaging process for those isn't protected by the same health laws as food and beverage packaging."

Alex shook her head.

"The entire meal conversation consisted of her telling me in detail about all the potential bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites that I possibly came in contact with through everything I touched and tasted. I almost felt like ordering that vodka with a straw myself to calm down; towards the end of the meal I felt like there were lethal microbes crawling all over me, all with a personal agenda to kill me."

JJ gaped in pure disbelief.

"Oh my God. Poor woman."

"I wasn't too happy either. I could have understood some degree of precaution had it been flu season; I mean, who has the time to get sick? But…" She shoved her hair out of her face, which seemed to amuse her. "Oh, and she also told me I shouldn't wear my hair down because a tremendous amounts of microscopic hazards such as bacteria stick to long hair every day."

JJ laughed.

"I take it you did not get a goodnight kiss from her."

"Nope, but she did give me a hug, and there was nothing hesitant about it either."

"So… touching you after you touched untouchable things were okay?"

"Yep. And she wanted to see me again on Saturday, the next evening."

"Wow. What did you say?"

"I said I thought I might be coming down with a cold or something, but that I'd call her the next day if I didn't feel too lousy."

" _Alex_!" JJ laughed. "That wasn't very nice of you!"

"I know. I do regret it now, I should have offered her the number to a good therapist instead so she could get some help, but I just freaked."

"How do you even _find_ these women, Alex? What kind of dating site are you using?"

"Match dot com."

"Okay, we might need to get Garcia involved."

"I said that was my _last_ date! Jesus…" Alex sighed, closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She felt like she was about to get a migraine just talking about these dating failures. Was it really just bad luck? She was beginning to believe she was cursed.

JJ patted her arm.

"Tell you what, give it _one_ more chance."

"And then what?" Alex asked without opening her eyes.

"Well, my friend still has two kittens left for sale…"

"Inevitable ending," she sighed and looked back at JJ.

"You know Alex, for all your toughness, I still believe there's a softer Alex inside of you, one that is in desperate need for some cuddles, and if you can't find a significant other to offer that, then at least you should have a kitten curl up next to you in bed and purr all night."

JJ nearly blushed after delivering this little speech. Did she just tell Alex Blake that she needed _cuddles_?! But Alex didn't seem to pick up on her embarrassment.

"You think I'd allow a shedding animal in my _bed_?"

"I know you would. I mean, you used to have a husband, didn't you?"

Alex snorted. "Well, I wouldn't go so far as to call him an animal." She seemed to consider and then added: "Though he _did_ shed."

JJ laughed out loud.

"It's one more date, or a kitten."

"Fine. One more date it is," Alex sighed and glanced at JJ.

 _Does she think I need cuddles? Do I look_ cuddly _to her? Hm. Maybe I do._

"Why are you smiling?"

"Was I smiling?"

"Yes."

"Hm. Nothing important. Just thinking."

* * *

 **A/N**

I know most of you think this is the most unrealistic date so far, but this is actually EXACTLY one date I had, several years ago. Now, I am something of a germ phobic myself; at least when it comes to respiratory or stomach bugs, but that whole date was just OVER THE TOP WEIRD! When the sealed plastic bags with disinfected cutlery came out of her purse, I thought I was on Candid Camera or something. My date didn't seem to think it was odd or embarrassing in any way. If she had had a medical condition that made her immune defense vulnerable, then I would have understood, but I asked carefully if she did, and she didn't. She just thought people and germs were disgusting. I couldn't help but wondering why she wanted to date me and my germs at all, then…

As always, reviews are welcome! :)


	4. Chapter 4

"Before you say anything JJ, I tried! I really, really tried!" Alex said and put her coffee down on the desk so violently some of it spilled over and trickled down the sides of the cup. "Damnit," she said in a lower voice and began wiping it off. Coffee stains on the case files was inevitable from time to time, but Hotch always looked upon it with a frown. Well, with a deeper frown than usual, at least.

JJ watched as Alex, while attempting to wipe the cup's underside, tilted it and caused even more of the dark fluid to spill.

"Look out!" she said, but she was a split second too late. The lid came off and Alex suddenly had more to worry about than a stained case file. The hot liquid soaked her sleeve and burned her arm. It wasn't hot enough to give her blisters, but it hurt nevertheless.

" _Ow_! Fuck this shit!"

JJ had never heard her colleague raise her voice, nor use that kind of language, but that wasn't what surprised her the most. It was the hint of defeat in Alex's voice. She sounded genuinely fed up with life. After the verbal outburst, she just stood there with her head hanging, looking like she might cry. She showed no sign of taking her dripping jacket off, or even try to wipe at it. She just stood there and let her emotions wash over her. Her jaws clenched. When she spoke again, it was in a trembling, quiet, frustrated voice.

"I have tried… I have paid hundreds of dollars going on dates that could have been taken straight from a bad sitcom. I have spent hours trying to look my best after exhausting days of work and still nobody seems to find me the slightest bit attractive. I am nothing but a pathetic, middle-aged, divorced, childless woman who is married to a career which she is failing, and guilty of being stupid enough to believe that she can reinvent herself when she's closing in on fifty!"

Alex took a deep, shuddering breath and suddenly burst into tears.

"And it has gone so far that I actually _want_ that kitten!" she added furiously, as if this realisation was the final straw.

"Alex…" JJ was at a loss of words, but sometimes you say more without them. She reached out her hands and gently helped the other woman out of the jacket. She took a good look at her arm, but although the skin was red and irritated there were no blisters. Alex just stood still, allowing JJ to touch her, allowing it with a calm that surprised her. She usually hated it when people touched her if she felt vulnerable. She made an effort to get a hold of herself and stop the weeping before she looked like the complete mess she felt like she was.

"And to add insult to injury, now I'm gonna reek of coffee all day," she said in a choked voice. JJ laughed softly.

"I could think of worse things," she said. "Why don't you go and fix yourself, and I'll clean this up. Then I'd like to know what happened last weekend that set you off like this. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think, but if it is, we'll sort it out."

Alex sighed.

"Okay." And then, just before leaving; "Thank you."

 _It's the least I can do,_ JJ thought. _I was the one who lured you into the whole dating game to begin with. Oh, damn it Alex, I'm sorry. I should have just asked you out myself, but I was - still am - pretty sure I wouldn't live up to your standards either._

* * *

"The worst part is that it seemed to go well," Alex began. "I picked her up at her apartment - not posh, but not shabby either, looked like a nice place for a middle class single woman. She was pretty, not overly done, but not unkempt. You know, I'm pretty much describing the Goldilocks version of a date; not too much, not too little, just right."

JJ nodded. She had no idea where Alex was going with this or what could have gone so wrong, but she wasn't going to butt in. Alex's eyes were still a bit swollen from crying and she only maintained eye contact for short periods of time, as if she was ashamed. JJ really didn't want to upset her any further.

"I thought she looked a bit young, so I asked. She said that she was twenty-seven, and that had me recoil for a second. But she reassured me that she had absolutely no problem with me being twenty years her senior; in fact, she just laughed and waved it off as if it was of no importance. And by then I was…" she trailed off and struggled to find the right word. "I think _smitten_ is the most accurate word. She was charming and witty, she liked to read books, which I find is a depressingly unusual interest among the general public nowadays…"

JJ smiled.

"… she ordered a Chardonnay and pronounced the word correctly…"

JJ's smile widened. This was typical of Alex Blake. She was a very nice, very sweet, very patient person, but she _could_ be something of a snob. That was part of her charm.

"… she did not get drunk. She did not lecture me on hygiene, global warming or freedom of speech. She did not express an extreme point of view when it came to religion, politics or even taste in music, and she did not talk about her exes. What she _did_ do was smiling, flirting, making jokes, laughing at mine, complimenting the food without mentioning having to go on a diet tomorrow to make up for it…"

Alex fell silent and swallowed hard. The seconds ticked by and she said nothing. JJ was beginning to think she wouldn't, when she suddenly gave a bitter laugh and threw her hands out in a gesture of surrender.

"Then, as we were leaving, she dropped her purse. Everything fell out - including her wallet. Including what was _inside_ the wallet," she added pointedly, as if JJ was supposed to know what her date kept in her wallet.

"Okay?"

"So obviously I helped her pick it up. Among the things I picked up was her driver's license. She was _nineteen_. Nineteen years old. I went on a date with a teenager. And that's not even the worst part; the worst part was that she was _lying_ to me!"

Alex pounded her fist against her thigh, hard.

"I'm an FBI profiler and she fooled me like nothing! Bait, hook and rod, I swallowed the whole damn fishing trip! Am I so starved for attention that I ignore the obvious signs of deception, or am I just _stupid_?!"

She gave her thigh another punch and JJ reached out and grabbed Alex's hand before she could do any damage to herself. Little by little she massaged the clenched fist into an open hand, that lay limp and heavy in JJ's both.

"You didn't know. Some people are incredibly difficult to tell the age of, you know that as well as I do. And you had no reason to doubt her word, did you?"

Alex shook her head.

"No. But the fact remains."

"The fact is that nothing happened."

"But it _did_. The _date_ happened." She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, it's over now. The whole debacle. The dating game is officially _over_."

With that, she withdrew her hand and hid her face with it. JJ couldn't think of anything to say. She felt terrible.

The silence between them stretched out for a long time until Alex eventually broke it by saying:

"I tried, JJ."

"I know you did. And I'm sorry this happened to you. You didn't deserve it."

"No, I don't think I did," Alex replied in a contemplative voice.

There was that spirit again, that dignity that was the trademark of Alex Blake. There was only a mere hint of it, but at least it was back. JJ heaved an inward sigh of relief. She never would have forgiven herself if she had been the cause - direct or indirect - for extinguishing that spark.

"I'm sorry I pushed you to do this."

"Yeah, well. If you get me a new coffee I'll forgive you."

"It's a deal."

When Alex smiled, JJ once more thought _I should have asked you out myself._

But it's always easy to make the right decisions in retrospect.

* * *

 **A/N**

Okay, so _this_ part wasn't very light-hearted, I'm sorry about that. I surprised myself, if that's of any consolation.

Personally, I'm not very impressed with the age thing - I definitely don't endorse illegal actions (however in my country the age of consent is 15) but I think the most important part of a relationship is love and mutual respect. Which, for the record, I don't think you show if you lie.

But enough with the serious stuff,

next chapter will be all kittens and fluff. ^^


	5. Chapter 5

"Well, at least a cat will be fine with staying in with me instead of insisting on going out on a Saturday night," Alex said as they got ready to go to JJ's friend's place and check out the kittens. JJ recalled the cats she had own as a kid - and their endless night-time strolls - and laughed.

"Just out of curiosity, have you ever _had_ a cat before?"

Alex rolled her eyes but smiled.

"I know I come across sounding like I don't like animals, but I do. I had dogs growing up, and when I moved to my own place I used to have a cat. William Shakespeare."

"You named your _cat_ William Shakespeare?!"

"I was twenty years old and very pretentious, okay?"

"What was the nickname for Mr Shakespeare? What did you call him when you were alone?"

Alex's cheeks turned bright red.

"Babyface."

JJ's mouth twitched. She tried her very best to hold back the laughter that bubbled up inside of her, but it was way too powerful, it snuck out anyway. In the meanwhile, Alex stood patiently (still blushing a little) and scratched at a mosquito bite on her arm, waiting for JJ to get herself together again. Eventually she did.

"I'm so, sorry for laughing. But I guess I was right after all; there is a much softer Alex in there."

"A soft Alex who gets hurt very easily," Alex agreed with a sigh. "It hurts to lose someone you love, even if it's 'just' a pet. It's easier to avoid getting attached. Safer. I need my walls, JJ."

JJ wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I know. I've been pushing you way too much about all of this, I'm sorry. In my defence all I can say is that you're an amazing person, and I just… wanted you to be happy."

"But I _am_ ," Alex said. "I mean, this job really demands everything out of me, but I love that. I grow as a person with every case we have. And you guys… I've never had a working relationship being so smooth before, but this team truly is family. I am happy. A relationship, well… that would just be the icing on the cake for me. For now, I'm more than pleased just to have the cake."

Their eyes locked and both experienced a highly unaccustomed feeling. They felt drawn towards each other. JJ broke eye contact first; she didn't want to seem like she was taking advantage of Alex's somewhat vulnerable situation. When JJ's blue eyes turned away from her, Alex felt relieved and disappointed at the same time. An odd combination if ever there was one.

"We don't have to go and look at the cats at all," JJ said. "If you're happy with the way things are, I shouldn't push my ideas on you."

Alex gave her shoulder a slight nudge.

"Are you kidding me? Now that I _want_ a furry housemate, you're trying to talk me _out_ of it? Not gonna happen. Let's go."

So they did.

* * *

While Alex didn't believe in love at first sight, that was precisely what she experienced when she first saw Cinders. The tuxedo kitten was about as shamelessly unreserved as a puppy dog when greeting the newcomers.

"We don't know for certain what he is; his mother is an angora but the father, well… it wasn't exactly planned, so we don't know what he is," JJ's friend Jessie said as she shook hands with Alex. But Alex didn't care about things like breed; in fact she couldn't take her eyes off the eager little furball as it ran up to her and immediately began clawing at her slacks.

"Come here you," Alex cooed and the kitten looked at her with big greenish yellow eyes and made a sound that was a mixture between a purr and a meow. Alex melted completely and felt tears in her eyes, but she didn't care about that either.

"Yeah," she said and wiped the corner of her eye with her hand. "I want him. Does he have a name yet?"

"We call him Cinders."

"Cinders. Can I take him with me right away?"

JJ gave her a strange look that Alex interpreted correctly.

"I sort of bought a lot of kitty stuff yesterday," she admitted.

"Like litterbox, bowls and food, you mean?" JJ asked.

"Yeah… and toys… and scratching post… and cat trees…"

Jessie laughed.

"I think Cinders will be most pleased," she said. "Well, he's all ready to move; he's been checked out at the vet's office and got a gold star. And I think his mother will be relieved; he's all over the place. I am a little bit concerned about your work hours though…"

"It's okay, I took two days off so I can be at home with him all day. And if I'm gone over more than office hours, my neighbour and her daughter promised they'd check on him."

She watched as Cinders padded over to another kitten - a smaller, more nervous looking one - and Jessie followed her glance.

"That's Katy, his sister. I guess we're going to keep her; she's so shy I don't have the heart to force her out of her home. But to be honest we don't have room."

Alex considered for a moment, while Cinders gently groomed his sister as if saying goodbye. Two would keep each other company. Maybe that would be a solution.

"Hey there," she said in a soft voice and kneeled on the floor. She reached out a hand, which Cinders immediately acknowledged. The other kitten hesitated for a moment, then walked up and bumped its nose against Alex's knuckles. Alex was unaware of the silly grin she had plastered across her face, but JJ saw it and was glad.

"Would you mind if I took her too, on a trial basis?" Alex asked. "I have room. And if it doesn't work out I can return her to you."

"If she hadn't just walked up to you out of her own free will I would have said no," Jessie said in a surprised voice, "but she seems to like you. So yeah, we can try."

Alex stood up, careful not to startle the cats. JJ reached out a hand and brushed some cat hair off of Alex's jacket.

"They're already shedding on you," she teased.

"I don't care," Alex replied. "I just want to take my babies home."

JJ and Jessie exchanged amused glances, but Alex hadn't even noticed her own choice of words.

"I thought you said she was a bit reluctant," Jessie whispered. JJ shrugged.

"Obviously not anymore."

Alex paid no attention whatsoever; she was completely absorbed by the adorable kittens in front of her. And JJ in turn was completely absorbed by how adorable Alex was cuddling with the kittens.

 _Oh my God, I_ _'_ _ve never wished to be a kitten before_ , she thought and shook her head. She brushed some more cat hair off Alex's jacket, but this time it was just as an excuse to touch the other woman. If JJ was true to herself, she wanted to cuddle Alex like Alex cuddled the cats.

"So cute," she said.

"Yes they are," Alex said.

 _I was talking about you_ , JJ thought. But instead of saying it, she only smiled.

* * *

 **A/N**

Okay, don't kill me, I try to keep up with half a dozen fics (original and fanfics) at the moment, as well as juggling my real life responsibilities - Her Spoiled Majesty The Horse soon returns from summer pastures and I need to clean out the stables and stuff - so updates will be even more irregular than usual. I try to get the older ones done first but it's not always possible due to inspirational failures. LOL All in good time though, I promise.

I hope you enjoy this update while waiting for the rest. :D


	6. Chapter 6

JJ slid in behind the steering wheel and grinned at Alex, who held the cage with the kittens on her lap while making soothing noises.

"Are you trying to purr?" JJ asked. Alex looked back at her as if she had been caught doing something naughty.

"Of course not!"

JJ raised her eyebrows. One of the kittens meowed quietly.

"Don't worry sweetie, mommy's here," Alex cooed and narrowed her eyes in a glare towards JJ. "Okay, maybe I am trying to purr. But if I am, it's just to make them feel comfortable."

"Alright," JJ said. "You're really sweet, you know that?"

"I'm so embarrassing," Alex sighed and leaned her forehead against the roof of the cats' cage. "But I can't help it. I've repressed this side of me for years. I had almost convinced myself I don't do cute. But damn it JJ, even I can't resist a kitten."

 _Or your blue eyes._

She gave JJ a worried look, afraid that she had said that last sentence out loud. She could hardly admit to the younger woman that she was attracted to her, not after her brave speech of being content with her life as a single lady. Also, as far as she knew, JJ was straight as an arrow. She probably wouldn't feel too uncomfortable if she found out that Alex thought she was attractive, but it would still make things different between them and Alex didn't want that added complication.

"Obviously the kittens couldn't resist you, either," JJ replied.

 _And neither can I. Why did I force you into all that dating when I could have asked you out myself? Am I stupid, or just scared that you'll think I take advantage of you?_

Hopefully the latter.

"Thanks for driving, by the way. I would probably not be able to stay on the road if I'm going to check on them while driving."

"It's okay."

They both fell silent, carefully glancing at each other from the side.

"Hey, if you're not in a hurry…" Alex began, trying to sound casual but at least to herself she sounded incredibly nervous. "… why don't you stay and eat? We can pick up a pizza. I know a place where they make delicious pizza. They put so much cheese on it… unless you don't like a lot of cheese on your pizza. Then we can go somewhere else." She noticed that she was blabbering like a school girl, forced herself to shut up, and felt her face heat with a blush.

"Sounds delicious," JJ replied, and couldn't help grinning again. "Are you nervous, Alex?"

"No. Why would I be? I'm not. Maybe a little."

"Would it make you feel better if I told you I am, too?" JJ asked in a low voice.

"Why?"

"Because…" she sighed. "Okay, here we go. Because I can't stop myself from thinking of it as a date."

Alex swallowed nervously.

"A… a date?" she echoed, feeling just as dumb as she probably sounded. She cleared her throat and tried to bring some order to her thoughts. "I think you've got dating on your brain," she said and let out a laughter that sounded so fake she winced.

"Maybe I do. Frankly, I'm jealous of those women who didn't understand what a gem they had the chance of going out with," she said before she could stop herself.

 _Oh God._

"Um…" Alex had no idea what to say.

"I made you uncomfortable, sorry," JJ said. "I don't know why I said that out loud."

"I'm confused." _Yeah, that's an understatement. For God's sake Alex, grow up._ "Does that mean you _want_ this to be a date?" she wondered.

"Yes," JJ replied after checking her options and finding the truth to be the wisest. "I do. I guess somewhere deep within I've wanted that ever since you told me that you… that you had divorced James."

"Really?"

"You make it sound like it's hard to believe anyone can be interested in you."

"My record isn't exactly in my favour," Alex sighed. One of the kittens meowed loudly and scratched at the cage's wall. "Easy baby."

"Neither is mine," JJ said. "I walked away from the last man I dated because I was afraid of commitment. The last woman I dated…"

"Wait." Alex held up a hand in a stopping gesture and shook her head. "You dated women? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was a long time ago and I thought it was just an experimental thing, a… phase, if you like. May I continue?"

"Uh-huh. Go ahead," Alex said, but at this point she was so puzzled she could barely understand what they were discussing. _JJ wants to date me?_ JJ _?! Dating_ me _?!_

"The last woman I dated walked out on me for the same reason I walked out on Will. She wanted a commitment I wasn't ready to give. But I want that now. I want to come home to someone I can feel safe with. But I want that to be someone who's not constantly interrogating me about what I'm thinking, or telling me what I should and shouldn't do."

She fell silent, certain she had said too much. But Alex watched her with a new openness in her dark eyes.

"It's a date, then?"

JJ smiled and looked into these beautiful eyes for as long as she dared looking away from the road.

"It's a date."

* * *

Alex was right, the pizza was delicious, with so much cheese it could have been a meal in itself. They had eaten a lot of food together during the cases and it wasn't embarrassing to eat in front of each other, not even getting grease all over themselves. They drank some beer and watched the kittens explore their new home.

"You really weren't kidding," JJ said as she pulled up her feet underneath her in the comfy couch. "You certainly went out and bought a lot of cat furniture."

Alex shrugged, smiling.

"I don't spend a lot of money, so… I can afford it."

"It wasn't really about the money," JJ said and giggled a little. "You're going to become quite the cat lady, aren't you?"

"I noticed that you dropped the 'crazy' part this time," Alex replied.

"Nothing crazy about you, Alex."

"Oh, I don't know…" Alex said and moved a little bit closer, so that their thighs touched. JJ's body heat soothed her in a way she hadn't experienced in years. "I feel this whole year has been rather crazy."

JJ reached out a hand and stroke the hair out of the older woman's face with a tender gesture.

"I think I'm going to kiss you now," she breathed.

"And I think I want you to," Alex replied. JJ smiled and pulled her closer until their lips met. The kiss was gentle, brief, but promising. Very promising.

"I think the kids are watching," Alex mumbled against JJ's lips.

"I hardly think it's going to scar them for life," JJ replied.

Then Cinders jumped onto the table and knocked over one of the beer bottles, spraying beer and foam all over the table and interrupting the moment. Brown eyes looked into blue. And then both women began to laugh as they got up from the couch and started to clean up the mess.

"At least there is no broken glass," JJ said.

"Still time for that," Alex replied.

"But no broken hearts," JJ said. Alex shook her head and briefly squeezed JJ's hand.

"No. No more broken hearts."

* * *

 **A/N**

Okay. That was cheesy. Got it? Got it? Cheesy? Okay, that was dumb. XD

Hope you guys liked it! I for one definitely liked to FINALLY get them together, cheesy as it got. :P


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